Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the mistakes as this is un-beta'd.
Author's note: This is going to be a series of one-shots of interactions/moments between various members of the Byers-Hopper clan. Most probably all unrelated and random and jumping around time frames. Basically it's a hot mess!
Happy reading.
Patchwork Family
Chapter One: Hopper and Jonathan – Getting Caught
Joyce stirred and came too slowly as her mattress dipped under a sudden weight. She opened her eyes and saw Hopper sitting on the edge of the bed, regarding her with an open fondness in his eyes that made her stomach flutter slightly. She didn't really know what this thing was between them yet but she did know at times he made her feel like a giddy school girl, again.
"What time is it?" She inquired quietly. He was dressed, albeit a little haphazardly, and clearly about to sneak out so it must have been later than she thought. They'd both drifted off to sleep after they'd had their fun.
"Just after one. I have to get going." Hopper replied. He reached out a hand and stroked the side of her face, brushing some hair behind her ear as he did. It felt so nice the next words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them:
"Don't go… stay."
She saw Hopper stiffened slightly at her words and regretted them instantly. It was her fault that he was having to sneak out in the middle of the night anyway – she was the one insisting they kept whatever this was under wraps and not tell anyone, including the kids. He'd quite happily stay over with Jane in tow and all sit around the breakfast table the next morning. It was Joyce that wasn't ready for that.
"I can't. I have to get back to Jane. You know she'll worry if I don't." He told her in the same quiet and steady tone of voice. She knew he was being kind to her saying that and not calling her out on being a hypocrite for even asking him to stay in the first place.
"I'm working a late shift on Thursday…" She told him coyly. She was hoping the unspoken offer would make up for her thoughtlessness.
If she was working a late shift she didn't start till lunchtime. The boys would be at school in the morning and Hopper would arrive very late to work, taking a detour to Joyce's and making good use of the empty house. She felt relieved when he smirked in response to her statement, his eyebrows kinking suggestively.
"Thursday it is then." Hopper kissed her softly. And then again just because he could. She was aware she was smiling like an idiot once more. "Sleep well Joy." He told her softly as he placed one last kiss to her hairline and then rose from the bed.
"Get home safe." She said, barely managing to contain a yawn as she did so. She was exhausted from another full on week and it was only Tuesday. She knew she'd be asleep again in seconds.
Hopper exited the room as quietly as he could, closing the door slowly and silently. He turned around and almost jumped out of his skin as he was met with an equally shocked looking Jonathan standing on the other side of the hall. Jonathan had one hand on his bedroom door handle and his shoes in the other hand, exactly how Hopper was holding his own shoes. It was obvious Jonathan was sneaking back into his own room as Hopper was sneaking out of Joyce's.
"What are you doing here?" Jonathan asked in a whisper that was equally confused and worried.
Hopper being called to his house in the middle of the night was never going to be a sign of anything good but then nothing seemed awry in the silent house and now he thought of it Hopper's blazer wasn't parked out front. It was only then that he took in the Chief of police's appearance – his clothes looked like they had been thrown on, in the dark or in a hurry or possibly both, and he was holding, not wearing, his shoes for presumably the same reason Jonathan was –to make as little noise as possible. It suddenly became sickeningly obvious exactly why Hopper was there. Hopper closed his eyes and visibly winced as Jonathan put two and two together.
Jonathan all but leapt at Hopper, dropping his shoes in the process and squaring up aggressively to the taller man. Hopper held him away from himself easily, his grip on Jonathan's shirt firm but not excessively so, just enough to keep him at arm's length.
"Alright kid, alright!" Hopper hissed insistently. He was trying to be as quiet as possible to not wake up Will or Joyce for that matter but he was also trying to save himself getting hit in the face by a severely pissed off looking eighteen year old.
Hopper gestured in the direction of the kitchen, clearly indicating they should go there to talk. Jonathan shrugged off Hopper's grip and continued to stare daggers at him but did eventually turn and walk in the direction of the kitchen.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jonathan demanded as soon as Hopper joined him in the kitchen. His voice was still quiet as to not wake up the others but the anger was more than clear in it. Jonathan continued before Hopper had the chance to reply. "With everything she has been through the last couple of years you really think what she needs right now is to be messed around and used by you?!"
Hopper's back stiffened at the accusation. He knew Jonathan was angry and he honestly couldn't blame him for that, he'd have certainly responded in the same way if he'd been in his shoes, but the idea that he was using Joyce in any way made his blood boil.
"It's not like that kid." He responded, grounding out the words between his teeth and trying to stay calm.
"Sure it isn't." Jonathan accompanied his statement with a sarcastic laugh and Hopper felt the hold on his temper slipping from him quickly. "It's only ever like that with you, isn't it? Everybody knows your reputation… ever since you got ba…"
Jonathan was cut off as Hopper shoved him aggressively into the refrigerator, he got right up into his face, grabbing fistfuls of the younger man's shirt. Jonathan looked surprised; there was the smallest flicker of fear in his eyes but he stood his ground, meeting Hopper's hard stare without blinking. Hopper was metres taller than him and more than a little heavier but Jonathan refused to be intimidated. He had to hand it to the kid – he had some serious balls. His anger dissipated at once and he let go of Jonathan's shirt and took a step back, holding his hands up in surrender.
"I'm sorry." He told him sincerely. Jonathan stepped away from the fridge and brushed himself down but he didn't reply. An uncomfortable silence surrounded them.
Hopper was feeling guiltier and guiltier with each passing second. He had been a fraction away from getting really physical with him – bringing up his reputation, the things he had done in those dark, dark years after Sara was gone, had made him loose control. He had almost hit him just like Lonnie had done countless times. He felt sick at the comparison his brain had just made. This couldn't be going any worse.
"I'm sorry Jonathan… but it's not like that with me and your mom, truly it's not." Jonathan looked up at him. He didn't look as pissed off anymore but now his expression was unreadable. "The only reason we're sneaking around is because your mom's not ready to tell people yet. When she is we will." Still he was met with the same blank stare. "I know it's probably weird and uncomfortable for you but you'll have to get used to it because I'm not going anywhere… I love her."
That finally granted him a response. Jonathan's eyes widened at the declaration and he took an unconscious step forward.
"Do you mean that?"
"Yeah, I do." Hopper confirmed. He was inwardly wincing the whole time though. God alone knew why he had just confessed that. He just couldn't think of any other way to prove Jonathan's (most likely entirely fair) assumptions wrong.
Jonathan sighed deeply, clearly still deeply uncomfortable with the situation. Again Hopper couldn't blame him for that. Then Jonathan squeezed his eyes shut with his fingers, deep in thought. Finally he dropped his hand and squared his shoulders as if he had come to a decision about whatever it was he was pondering. Hopper suddenly felt nervous.
"Okay." Jonathan stated simply.
"Okay?"
"Okay I'll keep your secret and I won't say anything to mom because it will upset her that I found out this way but I swear…" At once Jonathan was moving towards Hopper his finger pointed in his direction, "… if you ever hurt her…"
"Hey, I know." Hopper replied as he and the younger man came face to face once more. "I get it. And I'd expect nothing less."
Jonathan nodded curtly, satisfied that his threat had been understood and taken seriously. He took a couple of steps back, creating a more natural space between them as Hopper gathered his things ready to leave. Once Hopper had put on his boots and stood up to leave he suddenly smiled at Jonathan.
"Oh and I'll keep your secret too." Hopper said.
"What secret?"
"Well I'm going to assume that neither yours nor Nancy's mom know that you're sneaking around with each other until one am?" Jonathan reddened instantly at Hopper's words which just made him smile all the more. After a moments silence Jonathan shook his head slowly and he figured that was about as much of an answer that he was going to get on that. "No okay well hey no judgement here just… promise me you're being safe yeah?"
Jonathan's eyes almost burst out of his head at Hopper's words. This entire conversation had been one of the most uncomfortable of his life and it had just got worse. Was this the sort of thing older male figures talked to you about? Jonathan didn't know – he wasn't exactly overcome with them in his life. He was fairly sure if his own father had stayed around he wouldn't have bothered to have this particular chat with him. He would have found it more amusing to watch Jonathan try and figure it out on his own.
Still there was something about Hopper asking him, probably because he had just discovered him sneaking out of his mom's bedroom, that got his back up at little bit. It was on the tip of his tongue to reply something along the lines of 'I could ask you the same question'. But he stopped himself – he absolutely did not want to think about Hopper and his mom together in any way.
Hopped sighed in frustration next to him. He was clearly equally uncomfortable.
"Look I'm not prying kid I'm just saying… okay?" Jonathan nodded but stayed silent. "If you do ever need anything and you don't want to get it yourself you know where I am. And that will sure as hell be an awkward conversation but it will be entirely less awkward than you having to tell your mom you got Nancy pregnant at eighteen, you got it?"
"Yeah I got it." Jonathan replied. He hadn't looked Hopper in eye since he had brought up the subject. Hopper turned to leave and just as he reached the door he heard Jonathan say: "Thanks chief."
He turned to see Jonathan regarding him with a mixture of confusion and gratitude as if he couldn't understand why he'd go out of his way to look out for him like that. Hopper was suddenly reminded of who his father was and what his past experience had been. Jonathan wasn't used to anyone, other than Joyce, looking out for him in any way. It made an odd sort of feeling rise in his chest, something that he recognised from long ago with Sara and much more recently with Jane – it was a sort of protectiveness, a paternal protectiveness. He had a base instinct to want to protect the kid in front of him that had had to grow up so quickly.
And that was the first time he realised it wasn't just Joyce that he was falling in love with, it was all of them, the whole package.
Hopper paused with his hand on the door handle. He gave Jonathan a genuine smile.
"Anytime kid."
And he meant it.
